Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has dismissed reports of US President-elect Barack Obama ignoring India while making telephone calls to leaders of various countries following his election to America’s top office.
Asked specifically whether it was true that Obama had ignored India by not calling him, the Prime Minister said, “No, this is not true... President Obama wanted to talk to me day before yesterday (November 8). We could not establish contact because the time that was suggested was too short for me (to establish contact). Since then, I have been travelling... As soon as I go back (we will try to establish contact)”.
Obama had called up leaders of as many as 15 countries, including President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, following his election as the next President of the US.
Talking to reporters on his way back from a three-day tour of the Gulf states of Sultanate of Oman and Emirate of Qatar, the Prime Minister pointed out that Obama had written to him a “very warm” letter even before he was elected President. “I had myself written a warm letter to him,” he said.
He asserted that the Indo-US relations would become stronger under Obama. “I have every reason to believe that India’s relations with the US would become stronger than ever before under Obama,” the Prime Minister said.
As Manmohan Singh did not get any call from Obama, there were suggestions that the next US President was ignoring India.
Talking about inflation and the steps being taken by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to increase liquidity, the Prime Minister said, “It would be wrong on my part to speculate (whether there would be a further rate cut)…we are watching the situation and have formed a committee under me to monitor the situation”.
He added that more was needed to be done to stabilise the Indian economy and stressed that further steps would be taken. “The government is committed to providing all support to the Indian industry to ensure that there was least effect of the global financial crisis on the Indian industry.”
Incidentally, reports suggest that the RBI may further carry out rate cuts. It may act if overnight cash rates move up.
The Prime Minister refused to comment on as to when the congress-led UPA government would be opting to go for parliamentary elections and asserted that his government was not discriminating against any of the state governments. He said the Centre had an obligation to help people of every state “whether it was Kerala, West Bengal or Tripura”.
When pointed out that there were allegations that his government was helping out private airlines, Manmohan Singh said there was an employment angle to it. “If airlines close down…there would be considerable unemployment,” he said.
Describing his visit to Oman and Qatar as very successful, the Prime Minister hoped that India would be able to sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Gulf nations by the end of 2009 when Qatar would be heading the Gulf Cooperation Council.
He said his trip to the Gulf had been in pipeline for a long time and had come at a time when the “time was ripe” to broaden relations with the Gulf countries, especially in the backdrop of the global financial crisis. He was of the opinion that there were opportunities, both for India and the Gulf countries, for investments in economy and trade.
He indicated that India had been unable to persuade Qatar to increase its allocation of natural gas. Qatar has made an allocation to supply 7.5 million tonnes of natural gas to India with five million tonnes being supplied now and 2.5 million tonnes by the last quarter of 2009.
